Far Too Easy is back on track to try to make it third-time lucky in the $2 million The Kosciuszko after recovering from an illness that threatened to kill him.
Trainer David McColm (Pic: Trackside)
The David McColm-trained five-year-old, which finished second in The Kosciuszko in 2022 and third last year, contracted Colitis, an inflammation of the inner lining of the colon, in April.
“We nearly lost him,” McColm said.
“He got sick really quickly, about 30 minutes after he did his work in the morning, so we opted to have him treated at the stable instead of sending him to hospital. We wouldn’t have been able to float him there anyway.
“My local vet Greg Baldwin treated him. He was here every day, sometimes twice or three times a day. ‘Easy’ was on a drip for about five days straight and getting other treatment as well and we at home just acted as a nurse for him, really.
“It was a pretty big thing, as these gut problems can be with horses. His protein levels dropped dramatically and he had swelling around his jaw, under his chest, under his belly and in all of his legs.
“The protein levels and his blood readings were indicating that it was borderline whether he’d survive and for about three days I didn’t think he was going to make it, I really didn’t. But he slowly responded to treatment and got through it in the end.
“Now his bloods are all back to just about normal. He’s just a bit low in iron, but getting there. He had seven or eight weeks off and he’s been back in work for a couple of weeks now.”
Far Too Easy, which is an $11 chance with TAB to win The Kosciuszko, is the star of the McColm stable at Murwillumbah and has helped put the trainer on the map with his eight wins and five placings from 20 starts and $1.336 million in prizemoney.
Now that the horse is back in gear, McColm says the stable is pressing ahead with a third attempt to finally win The Kosciuszko, which will be run over 1200 metres at Randwick on October 19.
Punters can go in the draw to have a horse run for them in The Kosciuszko by purchasing sweepstakes tickets at $5 each via TAB through agencies, the TAB app, pubs and clubs and at race meetings until September 9.
The 14 slot-holders will be drawn on September 11 and they will then be able to do a deal on a prizemoney split with the connections of eligible runners trained in the NSW country or ACT.
“He’ll have a barrier trial and I’ll look for a suitable race for him to run in after that,” McColm said.
“I’ll map out the program exactly soon enough, but that race will probably be in Brisbane and then he’ll go second-up into the Kozzie.
“‘Easy’ deserves another crack at the event and all things going well I’d expect him to be very competitive again. It would obviously be great if we could get another start in the race and finally win it.”
– Racing NSW
